The people’s committee of Pyongyang’s Hwasong District is administering home maintenance training sessions for tenants of new homes in the district, Daily NK has learned.
“The urban management department of the Hwasong District People’s Committee is stressing the importance of proper house maintenance in training sessions for people who have been assigned new houses, while urging them to be proud of living in the best houses prepared by the loving care of the Workers’ Party and the Marshal [North Korean leader Kim Jong Un],” a source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
According to the source, the home maintenance sessions, which are led by the district people’s committee, began at the beginning of May and last for about five days for each newly registered family.
The training sessions are held with the primary goal of instilling loyalty in Kim, emphasizing that it is his hard work that has made it possible to build these quality apartments so quickly, and that it is the duty of the citizens to always remember that it is Kim’s affection and consideration that makes it possible to live in such beautiful homes.
This is followed by a session explaining the laws and regulations governing housing maintenance. New residents are given a brief explanation of the rules for housing allocation, housing use, maintenance and repair, as well as a detailed explanation of the country’s housing policy. The committee also emphasizes the need for housing maintenance to be fully under government control.
The district people’s committee also informs the new residents that they must fully comply with the duties and rules of home maintenance, and that it is especially important to prevent damage to the house and not to make unauthorized structural changes.
On the latter point, the committee has warned all tenants that making unauthorized structural changes or causing damage to their homes through poor maintenance could lead to fines or forced relocation.
Families are also being warned that giving or selling their allotted home to others, or paying a premium to move to another floor, could result in severe legal repercussions and even the family’s expulsion from the capital city.